Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Oh What A Knight! Blog Tour and Giveaway




Through a twist of fate, Princess Gabrielle became First Knight of the King’s Elite Guard, a position always held by the second born male. She's spent years proving to the Minsters of Faldaera she is capable of leading the king’s Army.
When mythical creatures plague her kingdom, Rielle is sent to capture Captain Brody, the alleged culprit behind the attacks and the man who broke her heart four years ago.
Brody, Crown Prince of Delphine, is living in self-imposed exile, atoning for the sins of his father. But Fate has different plans for him. Tired, beaten down, and ready to give up on life, he is tossed into the path of the one person he would do anything for―Princess Gabrielle.

With a traitor in her ranks, and a mark on her head, Brody joins forces with Rielle, hoping to keep the woman he loves safe. Happily-ever-after is not guaranteed, and mythical creatures aren’t the only danger the couple face. As battles rage, Rielle has the chance to prove herself a capable leader, but will doing so cost her the love of her life?




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Here are a few personal thoughts from Mary:

On Writing:

Favorite thing about writing a first draft: Meeting and learning about my characters.
Best thing about writing for kids and/or teens: Reliving lots of firsts.
Favorite word: Seriously?
One word that describes your path to publication: educational
If I could have two dream careers, I’d be an author and a: mom (which I am!)

On Life:

If I could snap my fingers and solve one of the problems here on earth, it would be: How we treat each other. If we all lived by the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do to you) I think we'd all get along a bit better. :-)
One question I wish I had a definitive answer to: Is there life after death. I think so, but it would be nice to know for sure.
Best thing about being a child: Very little responsibility
Worst thing about being a child: Not realizing how good you've got it.
Best thing about being a teenager: Time spent with friends.
Worst thing about being a teenager: Being stuck between being a kid and an adult. You're too old for things, yet not old enough for others. 
Most memorable teen moment: My first kiss.
One thing I’d like to say to my teen self:  It's okay to not know the answers about what you want to be when you get older. No matter what you choose, you can always decide a different path later.
A quote I live by: Do unto others... I'm not always successful with it, but I do try.
My dream vacation: Camping with my family and friends. Doesn't matter where, as long as we're together.

In My Perfect World…

Everyone would get chocolate and ice cream at least once a week.
There would be an abundance of sunshine and happiness.
No one would be deprived of love.
Every child would have a happy childhood.
No one would ever be mean.
Hugs would be free for everyone.

Mary lives with her husband, son and two cats. When she isn't twisting fairytales, she enjoys reading, playing games, watching hockey, and camping. Her Princess of Valendria series (Quest of the Hart, Charmed Memories, Different Kind of Knight) are available from MuseItUp Publishing and other major retailers. Her Faery Marked (book 1 in the Faery Series) will be available from BookFishBooks this summer. 
You can find Mary Waibel at:




22 comments:

  1. Angelina-

    Thanks so much for having me! Your questions really made me think- which is always a good thing!

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  2. Great questions and responses! I'd love to hear more about the process of meeting and learning about the characters in the first draft, especially since you find it so favorable.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Matt. I have a tendency to go into the first draft knowing where I'm starting, where I want to end, my characters names and physical description, and a bit about their personalities. As I start writing, I find that what I thought I knew about how they'd react to certain situations isn't always correct.

      If you looked at my first draft of QUEST OF THE HART, you would never realize it to be the same story that is published. Not even the names of characters remained the same in that one. (or in CHARMED MEMORIES, which also went through a title change.) As I wrote and revised, I learned about my characters. In a sense, they grew.

      Now days, I'm trying to have a bit better understanding of who my characters are before I start writing (helps in the revisions) so I spend more time thinking about them and the story I want to tell. I still get surprised by them, and have fun learning about them, I just have more consistency in my drafts.

      Feel free to ask me more, if you want!

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  3. Great interview, Mary. I agree, those questions would make you think.

    Best wishes, and lots of luck.

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  4. Super interview and answers. Meeting new characters is one of the perks of writing a story. You never know what they'll be like. Sometimes they surprise you.

    Congratulations, Mary. Best of luck to you.

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  5. Delightful post! Mary, I know just what you mean about "meeting" your characters during the first draft. Sometimes my characters just pop up from out of nowhere!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Heather! It's amazing the characters you can meet in that draft! (or even subsequent ones!)

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  6. What a fun interview format! Great answers, Mary! :)

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    1. Thanks Meradeth. I really had to think about some of my answers, but it was a lot of fun!

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  7. Big congrats to Mary. And yes, more chocolate and ice cream. :)

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  8. Soooo....March Madness? Is this the right place for Sunday checkins?

    Kat ;)

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    Replies
    1. You are correct. Post will be up first thing tomorrow morning. Welcome!

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    2. Great! I did 2008 words yesterday for total count, and have squeezed in 547 today. I might get a few more in before I go to sleep. Hope everyone else is doing great!

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    3. Fantastic! I almost missed your comment because it wasn't on the March Madness post above, but hey, you wrote over 2500 words this weekend, so what the heck!

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  9. Need some new fangled thots, ideers and names? HEER YE! O HEER YE!! "Step right up, young laddy!!" cries the carnival barker: if I'm a sower, we plant the Seed; if I'm an artist, we write the Word:

    I actually saw Seventh-Heaven when we died: you couldn't GET any moe curly, extravagantly-surplus-lush Upstairs when my beautifull, brilliant, bombastic girl passed-away at 17.

    "Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the expanse of the Heavens, and those who have instructed many in uprightousness as bright as stars for all eternity"
    -Daniel 12:3

    Here's what the prolific, exquisite GODy sed: 'the more you shall honor Me, the more I shall bless you'
    -the Infant Jesus of Prague.

    Go git'm, girl. You're incredible.
    See you Upstairs...
    I won't be joining'm in da nasty Abyss
    eklektikmantra.blogspot.com

    -YOUTHwitheTRUTH
    -------------------------------
    PS While nobody is as brilliant as Dean Koontz, dear, the absolute one thang nobody else possesses is YOU. Need names? I gotta lotta nifty-cool-ones. Lemme gonna gitcha started:

    Oak Woods, Athena Noble, Autumn Rose, Faith Bishop, Dolly Martin, Willow Rhodes, Cocoa Major, China Stone, Bullwark Burnhart, Magnus Wilde, Kardiak Arrest, Will Wright, Goldy Silvers, Sophie Sharp, Gloria Hood, Violet Snow, Lizzy Roach, BoxxaRoxx, Aunty Dotey, Romero Stark ...

    God blessa youse
    -Fr. Sarducci, ol SNL

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